Continuing Education for Nurses
This is a post about continuing education for nurses. It’s important to take courses that challenge you and prepare you for future careers in your field.
Continuing education is a necessity for nurses who want to advance their careers. This could mean anything from acquiring new skills in the medical field, to taking on more management positions, or getting certified as an advanced practice nurse (APN) specialist. It can also be helpful if you need to keep up with changes in your profession or meet regulatory requirements like keeping up-to-date on immunizations every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC offers free continuing education courses and other opportunities for nurses. For example, you can take classes that cover topics like infection control, infection prevention and control, and patient safety. You can also take online courses that are conducted by the CDC or other organizations for nurses. Online Continuing Education (CE) is a great way to receive CE without having to travel to a classroom.
Additionally, you should consider taking selected CE from your local nurse practitioner association (NPA). There are various levels of continued education that you can earn through NPA-approved programs. The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) offer online continuing education.
Classes that you can take for a fee are under your state's Board for Nursing and Allied Professionals (BNAP). If you live in California, you can take some classes for a fee through BNAP. Online CE programs are also offered from the National Clearinghouse for HIV AIDS CME and the AIDS Institute at UCLA Medical Center. The National Post-Graduate Nursing CE is offered by Educational Exchange Network. You can learn more about these programs by visiting their websites or by calling them directly.
There are other resources that provide free courses for nurses.
The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses offers continuing education through a variety of sources. Among them, the association has a partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and YouTube to promote clinical content as well as continuing education through educational videos via YouTube. There are also various resources that are available to nurses by the American Nurses Association (ANA).
If you're seeking continuing education through an accredited provider, you can contact your state licensing board's nursing section or ask your employer if they have a list of approved providers. Depending on what specialty you are in, continuing education requirements vary by state. The Joint Commission for example, requires nurse practitioners (NPs) to take 40 hours of continuing education each year.
In an article published in "Nurse Practitioner News" , a member of the Medicare Advisory Council recommended that Medicare beneficiaries be provided with more information on attending continuing education courses. He pointed out that "the current model is not working as intended to improve patient safety." He explained that there was no systematic manner in which nurses are directed to attend continuing education. This lack of direction means that many nurses fail to make use of their CE time with potentially detrimental results. To address this problem, he suggested that Medicare beneficiaries be provided with CE information via mail, email, or fax. He also suggested that Medicare beneficiaries be provided with a list of their providers of approved continuing education courses.
In order to determine how well the current model is working to improve patient safety and how incoming nurses use their CE time, the council reviewed two studies performed by the Task Force for Nurse Leadership Effectiveness (TFNLE) released in 2013 and in 2007. The TFNLE studies revealed that nurses who took part in continuing education had a lower rate of mortality than nurses who did not take part in such CE. In the 2007 TFNLE study, the mortality rate for nurses who did not participate in CE was higher than that of nurses who took part in it. The study also showed that nurses who took part in CE achieved a higher estimated rate of patient safety because they were more knowledgeable about patient safety issues and were more likely to influence others on safe medical practices. This impact was seen at all levels of healthcare, including the doctor, health-care provider, nurses, and hospital administration.
It is possible for non-physician certified nurse practitioners (CNCs) to obtain reimbursement through Medicare or Medicaid when they bill themselves as a CNP. This "clinical nurse specialist (CNS)" designation allows CNSs to bill Medicare, Medicaid, or TRICARE for direct costs related to patient care.
It is important for nursing students to have a strong foundation in both the classroom and clinical experience. For example, an educator in a California school district stated that many of her students did not attend their required CE: "We are having difficulty with this trend. Many nurses have not participated in any continuing education – even though it is required. I was recently part of a panel of nursing faculty who were discussing this issue and I feel we need to provide examples and offer solutions."
More than 1 million professionals are employed as nurses across the country. This number is expected to increase significantly in the future due to the aging of the population. Employers are required to provide their nurses with continuing education. According to an article published in "American Journal of Managed Care", a survey conducted by Regence BlueCross BlueShield found that nurse practitioners (NPs) were unhappy about their CE requirements. The survey found that despite CE's importance, many nurses do not understand its value. The authors noted that some sources believe this could be due to a combination of factors, including inadequate continuing education training, lack of information about CEs and how they are related to patient safety, and lack of understanding of nursing competencies among health-care practitioners. The authors noted that NPs needed more information about the relationship between CE and patient safety.
According to another article published in "The Journal of Nursing Administration", nurses are not receiving enough clinical knowledge, which is a key element of nursing competencies. Nurses also lack knowledge of professional values and ethics. The article stated that there is a growing trend in nursing education, which includes integrating best practices into curriculum based on nursing values, the National Quality Forum accreditation standards, and the NCQA accreditation standards for schools. It also stated that a key element of education is focusing on professionalism and the values of the nursing profession, which include compassion, respect for diversity, excellence in clinical practice, healing relationships, and care that is timely. A survey conducted by the American Nurses Association's (ANA) Center for Nursing Quality found that more than two-thirds of nurses believed they were not receiving enough education on professional values and ethics. Over half (54%) said they did not feel prepared to teach these values to new graduates. The study found that while 45% felt educational institutions valued these factors, only 40% believed their own employer did.
Conclusion
The nurse practitioner (NP) is a registered nurse with advanced degrees who participates in collaborative patient care. The NP is not a licensed physician but may perform certain primary care tasks such as office visits and physical examinations. In order to provide comprehensive, cost-effective care to patients and enhance the quality of their practice, most NPs complete at least minimum numbers of hours of continuing education. NPs must be aware of the regulations in their state that govern CE for nurses and complete the appropriate number of hours each year. Nurses who do not participate in their required CE could find themselves unable to practice their profession or could be denied renewal of their license.